Chapter XXVIII: Protocol

Leviathan looked over at them, sighed, and then shook himself out. "Judging by the look on Yugi's face, I'll take a guess and say Ironheart passed during your conversation."

Atem glanced over and nearly laughed. Yugi was trying his hardest not to make eye contact with anyone. He kept glancing at the sky or the water or the stone under their paws. He utterly refused to make eye contact with anyone and, though Atem was unrelenting in his stare, his mate still would not look over at him. Atem shook his head and turned to Leviathan. "He was upset by the way he looked when he died, so he moved him slightly to give him a…more dignified expression."

He let the implication lay between them.

Jaden eyed Yugi critically, but with an edge of curiosity. "You moved the body?"

Atem glanced at Yugi but the Gandora refused to look at either of them. He turned back and eyed Jaden in turn, tilting his head. "In his defense, the position was hardly appealing." He met Jaden's stare. "As it is, he already did it. There is no reason for argument or anger. Leviathan, I offer condolences for your loss—"

"Because you wish to flee so soon?" Jaden sneered. "It's funny. All the rumors about you never put to light your cowardice."

"Preferring the company of dragons who don't irritate me is hardly cowardly." Atem narrowed his eyes. "Although I'll permit you to think whatever you wish. Clearly you know more than me at any time. Your infinite wisdom is, of course, why Ironheart didn't want to see you. Why tell you what you likely already know?"

Jaden looked as if he wanted to eviscerate him. Yugi snarled at his side. Yusei groaned. Leviathan burst out laughing and shot Jaden a sneer. The Gandora sprang forward, spitting and snarling, when Jaden moved a step closer. The Fire Dragon halted, looking at Yugi with a surprised expression, and then huffed. Leviathan laughed harder, looking at Yugi as if he were his favorite dragon in the world. Atem flicked his tail and looked between the other three deities. Yusei hadn't moved to intervene, he realized.

Had Jaden not meant to cause trouble when he'd stepped forward?

Yugi was still snarling but had quieted down some, as if he'd just noticed as well. Abruptly he lost his bristle and straightened, tail lashing with frustration. Atem chuckled and butted his hip, and his mate turned to him with a confused but warm expression.

"If you all plan to fight," Leviathan announced, "you should do it on your own in another territory. If you draw blood in mine, the Clan will come out to see what's going on. And I don't really think two Fire Dragons would like that to happen."

Yugi thumped his tail. "Jaden is stupid."

Atem laughed before he could stop himself. "Yugi," he said gently, "enough. We're not here to pick a fight."

"He is. He's stupid."

Yusei smirked, Jaden scowled, and Leviathan snickered.

Atem butted his mate's hip again. "If you believe so, it must be true."

Yugi nodded his head definitively. "It is."

Atem smiled and shook his head. "If it's fine with everyone else, I'd like to return home now. I'm tired. Speaking to Ironheart and watching him die was not something I wanted to experience after leaving to my territory originally. Now I am back here with the three of you and I don't feel welcome enough to stay."

Yusei grimaced. "You're always welcome around us," he said, then thumped Jaden in the side with his tail. The Fire Dragon stumbled and turned on him with a scowl. They glared at each other a moment before Yusei turned back. "Even if Jaden is an idiot."

"Ha!" Yugi crowed. "Even Yusei thinks he's stupid."

Atem snorted and shot his mate a dirty look. He turned back. "Be that as it may, I do not feel the need to overstay this welcome right now. I am tired." He looked to Leviathan. "Is there anything you need of me before I take my leave?"

The question was loaded. Leviathan stopped short and stared at him, eyes glittering as they narrowed to slits. The Divine Serpent knew exactly what he was asking of him. They stared at one another for a long minute, and then the Water Dragon slowly said, "No."

Yugi watched him intently, as if trying to find out something from the conversation he'd formerly missed. Atem realized Yugi likely didn't know the proper protocol for a Clan when the leader was lost. He supposed he'd explain as they flew or when they landed. He mostly thought it depended on when Yugi decided to broach the subject.

Atem forced the thought aside and leaped into the air, flapping once before taking off. He hovered as Yugi followed suit, then made sure not to overtake him as they began flying back toward the territory. They got a mile away before Yugi finally looked toward him and asked, "Would Leviathan have asked you to take his father's place?"

Atem flapped his wings and glanced at the water below. He could see a thousand fish beneath the surface, swimming and darting about the shadows. He almost thought for a split second they might be putting on a show for him, but he forced the fantasy aside. He glanced at Yugi. "It would be easiest for me to fill a role should something like that become necessary. I am the Sky Dragon. I could potentially take over four of the five Clans should something happen. But I didn't expect him to take me up on the offer. I simply thought it courtesy to offer."

Yugi frowned. "Would you have taken it had he asked?"

"I can lead a Clan from my territory, Yugi," he said gently. "It is not as if I would have bothered to go there permanently. It is feasible to travel from the den to the Clan and back. If it is only a temporary arrangement, a visit a day would suffice for me to maintain control of the Clan if it came to that."

"But why would you even offer?"

"Because it puts me in a position of power," he said quietly. He saw Yugi's eyes stretch wide before narrowing with confusion. "I don't mean that as in ambitions and power struggles. I mean that it makes me seem eager to help the others and makes it clear I'm willing to take on different roles to allow us to maintain balance. If I'm showing some sort of willingness, Jaden is less likely to see me as a problem later."

Yugi seemed to consider that, tucking his paws to his belly and flapping to gain more speed. Atem followed suit, though he still refused to surpass him. "And what about the Lightning Clan or Wind or Ice? What would happen if their leaders passed? Would you volunteer then, too?"

"I have no reason not to." Atem paused and looked over. "If it became necessary, I would visit in the mornings and be back by afternoon. I would not allow it to interfere with time spent with you and Yami and Timaeus. You know that."

Yugi glanced at him sideways. "How long have you been thinking about this?"

"A few days. I knew Ironheart was ill when I met him. He smelled odd. It was a new development, so it wasn't very strong. But I'm used to looking for weakness in my suitors." He looked over again. "I wasn't expecting him to die so soon."

"It's been over six moons," Yugi mumbled. "Between his age and how little he seemed to be eating by the time we just got to visit him…"

Atem turned away. He just hoped he didn't look so pathetic when he died. He didn't want to seem so small and broken and incapable. And, by the gods, if he did, he hoped he had someone as sweet as Yugi there to make him look more dignified on his deathbed. But Yugi would be long gone by the time his life ceased. His lifespan was a fourth Atem's, half if they were truly lucky. Atem would care for him until his last breath and then after he'd likely rot to death from loneliness.

Sky Dragons were destined for early graves upon losing their mates.

It was the curse of mating for life.

"Atem?"

He turned his head. "Hmm?"

"Are you all right? You seem distracted."

"I was thinking about something…" He looked over and considered him, then smiled. "It doesn't matter, however. It was just a passing thought. You're flying well. I meant to tell you earlier but I didn't want to say so in front of Jaden and the others."

Yugi's eyes glowed with satisfaction. "Thank you!"

Atem snorted. Yugi had never been terrible at flight but he was definitely putting on a show at the moment, using Atem's body for better reference of pose for easier flight. He could tell by the way he continued to take quick glances at him that Yugi was working to make sure the other three didn't see him as weak. It made sense he'd use Atem to make sure he caught his pose and held his stance. Yusei and Jaden had likely thought Yugi was practicing with Atem in order to maintain his speed and distance without constant flapping.

From what he understood it was easier for Fire and Wind Dragons to rise on hot air and flap their wings for longer periods of time than it was to fly on still air and glide. Sky Dragons were light enough that any wind could carry them if they so desired. Flying for him was almost like swimming. He just had to move his paws and set his wings the distance and angle he needed and he didn't have to worry beyond that.

He wondered who Yami would take after in that regard.

There was still so much time for his features to change, for him to become almost unrecognizable as an adult. Hatchlings rarely kept every feature as they matured. He himself had darkened along the underbelly and the tusks on either side of his jaw had come without warning. His tail was still a marvel, the blades forming barely a moon before he'd fled the nest. His wings were much larger, his claws hollowed in certain spots for air currents, and his canine teeth now slid back into his gums when he was not snarling or roaring.

By the time Yami matured, he could look nothing like he did now.

He could have adaptations none of them had ever even dreamed of.

Atem wondered if Yugi had considered that yet.

Of course, he wouldn't be the one to say anything.

"So, if you had to take over one of the Clans, what would be your choice?" Yugi asked abruptly, searching his face. Atem noted he'd taken account for the position of the Sky Dragon's paws in that single moment as well. "I mean, if you truly had to."

"Let's hope there is never reason. But if I should have my pick, I'd likely go for the Wind Clan. Their shelter is amazing. I could easily blend in and turn invisible where it's necessary if I couldn't use the coverage the camp offers." He paused. "Have you ever been?"

Yugi looked over. "I've heard of the thorn barrier they've formed, but I've never been. Is it as big as they say?"

"Maybe even bigger."

He grinned and turned away. "You don't even know how big they say it is!" he pointed out. He flapped his wings in time with Atem and the Sky Dragon was almost mesmerized by the synchronization. "Well, either way. I would probably choose there, too. The sun isn't too hot. The thorns are the strongest barricade I've ever heard of. The surrounding land is great for hunting."

Atem studied him. "Is that another place you would have gone if you'd failed in your courtship?"

Yugi nodded. "I'd decided at some point even if I couldn't have you, I could at least watch out for you. I thought if I stayed close, I'd call upon my Wind Dragon genetics to claim sanctuary among them. I didn't realize their territory was so far from yours. But it still would have given me reason to linger nearby."

"I don't understand why you'd have felt the need."

Yugi shot him a look. "You know why."

Atem sighed softly. "If you had lost and remained nearby, I would have killed you when we next crossed paths."

"Even if it had been at the cliffs?"

The Sky Dragon considered and looked over. "No. I wouldn't have hurt you at the cliffs. But I would have recognized you. Your eyes are too distinctive and I would have gotten the chance to smell you during an actual fight. If that had happened, I would have known you no matter where you went. And if we'd crossed paths again, it would not have been without casualty."

Yugi nodded. "As it should be."

"What happened?" Timaeus demanded the moment they entered the den. The Knight Dragon rushed forward from where he'd been laying beside Yami. The hybrid didn't get up, instead stretching himself out and laying his chin on his paws again. He blinked lazy, tired eyes at them both and smiled when Yugi went to greet him.

"Ironheart passed."

Timaeus blinked. "What does the Water Clan leader have to do with you?"

"He requested my audience."

Timaeus bristled. "Why?"

Atem glanced over at Yami. "He wished to see me before he died. I think he wanted to talk about or to Yami, but he got Yugi and I instead." He took a seat and stretched his neck until it popped. "I don't know what in all there was to say about it. He wasn't healthy and half of what he said I don't think made much sense. But we spoke, and he passed."

Timaeus huffed. "You don't even understand half of what he said to you?"

Atem yawned. "It was…foolish. I don't know that I believe much of what he said, more than I couldn't understand it." He glanced at Yugi as the Gandora lay down and groomed Yami. The hatchling perked up and purred. Atem glanced at Timaeus and wondered for a moment if he should explain any further. "It was nonsense."

Yugi paused mid-lick but resumed almost instantly. Atem wondered if he would argue, but the Gandora said nothing and settled for grooming their son even more vigorously. He wondered if Yugi was scared, if he was thinking of Ironheart saying everything relied on Atem's ignorance of the path ahead. He wondered if he was thinking about Ironheart saying Yami's life would spiral downward when the eclipse came.

He didn't know how to prevent any of it.

And apparently he wasn't supposed to. He was supposed to let it happen.

Atem couldn't imagine standing by idly when he could easily protect Yami in the meantime. If it came to that, was he supposed to stand aside while Jaden or any other dragon attempted to rip his throat out?

Was he meant to step back if he was threatened?

Atem almost laughed at the absurdity of it. He was a Sky Dragon. His entire species was known for being so overprotective that they'd wage wars with neighbors over so much as a claw being over the scent marker for territory. He'd never been in a territory squabble himself, but he remembered stories that Sky Dragon parents with new nests were some of the worst forces of nature when it came to protecting the clutch. He'd always shared his territory with others, though he'd made it clear the mountains themselves were his. If he chose to roost atop one near another's nest, they were to respect it or face him in a fight. Every time he'd encountered another dragon in that situation, they'd actually welcomed him. He supposed it had to do with being a deity, or perhaps because he required nothing of those in his region.

For all he knew it could have been the rumors as well.

Regardless of species, however, he would never have allowed a dragonet of any kind—Keith's or Jaden's or Timaeus's or anyone's—to get hurt without reason. Yami's only crime would likely be his relation to Atem. He hated himself for the brief impulse to apologize to Yami for even allowing his birth.

Atem almost snarled with dismay. Yami was staring straight at him.

He'd likely heard the thought.

He looked away quickly, ashamed. Timaeus was studying him intently, head tilted as he considered.

"What just happened?"

Atem ignored the urge to look at Yami. "Nothing."

"He was thinking he hopes I grow up to look more like Yugi," Yami chirped, tone so forcefully happy it almost fooled Atem entirely. The God Dragon looked over in surprise. Yugi had paused licking, shooting Atem a startled look. "He just realized I could hear him."

Timaeus snorted. "I don't think he's going to turn black, Atem."

Yugi burst out laughing and ducked his head, turning away. "Oh my gods." Yami snickered and Atem huffed. Yugi grinned at Yami and shook his head. "I hope you stay like this."

"As long as I get bigger," Yami grumbled. "I want to be bigger."

Atem smirked. "I think you're just the right size to pin down and groom mercilessly."

Yami bristled and spun on him, glaring. "No!"

Timaeus snickered and shook his head. "Terrorizing this poor little hatchling. One day he's just going to stop bathing and get caked in mud forever."

Yami's eyes stretched wide and Atem considered him in bewilderment. He looked as if something had just occurred to him, as if Timaeus had just triggered a thought he'd had long before that had lain dormant. Then he blinked and turned away.

"I don't want to be dirty forever," he said with a shake of his head. "I just don't want to be bathed forever, either."

"Then I need to get in all the licks I can now," Yugi declared, grabbing and pulling him closer. He ran his tongue over his face even as Yami squeaked in protest and shot Atem a desperate look. "Once you grow, I can't do this as easily."

Yami squirmed but couldn't get out from beneath Yugi's sharper, hooked claws. "Father!"

Atem snickered but the thought crossed his mind. What if Yami decided to reveal what he'd really been thinking? What if he retaliated in order to get Yugi off him? What if…?

He felt another wave of shame crash through him.

Yami looked so hurt by the thought. The hatchling gave him a crestfallen look and then turned to spring at Yugi. He growled and squeaked and tumbled about trying to shake him. Yugi laughed, delighted, and Atem avoided the suspicious and almost horrified look on Timaeus's face as he eyed him.

Abruptly, so ashamed he could have laid down and never gotten up again, Atem murmured, "Yami, come with me. I want to talk to you about something."

The hatchling tumbled from where Yugi had tried to catch him by the tail and turned to him with a bewildered expression. He still seemed slightly hurt but far from as miserable. He chuffed when Yugi butted him in the hip and hurried over to the God Dragon.

Atem turned and led the way from the den. Yami scrambled after him obediently, faithful to a fault. Atem glanced back as he dropped from the lip. Yami hesitated on the edge, then wiggled his rump and sprang. He landed gracefully and hurried after him. For the first time Atem noticed his claws were sharpening and his paws were slightly flatter and larger than they had been before.

He was definitely adopting some of Yugi's attributes. Maybe his claws would be sharp enough to eviscerate in one shot, unlike Atem's which took two to truly cut the underbelly. He didn't have the ability to rip intestines out in one swoop as Yugi did. His claws were hollowed out for air, and the bottoms of them kept his toes from the ground, making it almost impossible to leave a scent mark through his paws. They were sharp and dangerous, but far better for swimming and flying than battle like Yugi's.

He'd be happy if Yami had that ability. It would make protecting himself a thousand times easier if he possessed Yugi's paws. Not only were they heavier, but they allowed faster land travel, helped with hitting an opponent hard enough to shred flesh, and could inflict an instant kill blow if he swung with enough force.

Yami paused behind him but hurried forward a split second later. Atem sighed and shook himself out as he led him to the cliffs and the outcrop they usually met at when they played outside. It was easier to contain him there. The rocks offered shelter if something went wrong or someone came from overhead.

"Father?"

Atem turned around and took a seat. This was as good a place as any. He wrapped his tail around his paws and peered at him. "What did you see from Yugi's thoughts? Did he show you any of the conversation we had?"

Yami blinked, puzzled. "No. He was picturing the lemon tree." He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "Is that why your thoughts are leaking so much? It's like a dam overflowing in my head."

Atem grimaced. "I should have done better to block them from you. I'm sorry."

Yami shook his head. "It's okay."

"No, it's not."

He shifted his weight and tilted his head. "But I'm not upset anymore."

"But you were. And I didn't have any right to think of you like that. I'm sorry." Atem sighed and glanced away at one of the clouds drifting lazily by. "I should have thought better of you, for starters. But I should have remembered myself when I first realized you could hear me again."

Yami shook his head and frowned. "But you did. They trickled to a stop and then you started panicking, and that's when they flooded through again." He paused and shifted closer. "What did he say that scared you so much?"

Atem fell silent for a long moment, then studied him a moment. "You…can see images."

"Yes."

"In my head and throughout the territory."

"Yes."

"Do you see things that have yet to pass?"

Yami peered at him for a long moment. Then he looked away and back and shifted his weight. "Sometimes…in my dreams I can. But I don't always know. It's not always…accurate. Anything to do with you changes a lot. You can't… I don't know. You're impossible to track. Timaeus or Yugi are easy to follow. Their choices aren't as…fluid as yours."

Atem blinked. "What does that mean?"

"You change your course of action too quickly. It's like the day comes and goes for you. It's never…planned. You don't even hunt like Yugi or Timaeus. So, I can't be sure when you go hunting what you'll end up doing. I know where you are because I can see the territory, but I can't predict what you'll do."

Atem tilted his head. "So, then I'm another blind spot for you as well."

Yami nodded and looked up again. "I don't like seeing things like that in my dreams. It's…hard sometimes. I don't like it at all."

Atem looked away. "Yugi suggested we try to teach you to suppress it."

He blinked and shifted his weight. "I don't want to."

"Then we won't." Atem searched his face. "But, I want you to do something for me, Yami."

"Okay."

"I want you to see and hear what Ironheart said." He tilted his head. "Because you might actually understand more of it than I did. And I don't want to upset Yugi by talking to him about this. I…I want you to tell me what you think it means."

Yami shivered and stared. "But…I don't want to know the future. That's what Ironheart could see, right? He had visions? I don't… I don't want to know."

Atem peered at him for a long time. "Okay." He looked away. "Then I'll tell you what was said—not exactly as he said it. But I'll…tell you some of it."

Yami blinked and shifted his weight. "D-does it matter?" he said abruptly, voice small and tight. "What he said? Does it matter? I m-mean—y-you still love me, right? I…"

Atem looked over, stunned. "What?" he spat. "Of course I do! Why would you even ask me that?"

Yami shivered. "He talked about me. And you're scared. I…"

He blinked. "That doesn't change anything," he said firmly. "I still love you. Yugi still loves you. Timaeus loves you. Hearing and knowing what Ironheart said changes nothing. If you don't want to know, then you won't."

He trembled for a split second, then looked away and back. When their eyes locked, Yami seemed to be considering his choices. The gem on his forehead turned cloudy and darkened to a stormy gray for a split second before he looked away. He shuffled his paws, narrowed his eyes, and then growled, "Show me. I want to know."